To get his racist wall, Trump is forcing thousands of federal workers to resort to begging for money to pay their bills.

Last week, Congress approved back pay for some federal workers, but it won't arrive until the shutdown ends.1 And there are also countless others – mostly low-wage employees of federal contractors – who got no help from Congress. Many who face foreclosure or eviction are turning to online sites like GoFundMe in desperation.2

We must force Congress to take bolder action to protect workers from the Trump shutdown.

Protect federal workers from Trump's shutdown.

The Trump shutdown is now the longest in modern history. As it drags on, the people who keep us safe, clean the floors and keep America moving are at risk of losing their homes and missing payments on bills. Even if back pay arrives, it may be too late for workers who must make payments on cars, homes or loans – not to mention gas, water, electricity and food. The basic costs of daily life do not disappear because Trump refuses to admit that the American people rejected his hateful agenda at the polls in November.

In contrast to workers, well-connected special interests are getting special favors during the shutdown. The Trump administration even intervened to mark some workers as "essential" to get them back on the job after the powerful mortgage industry complained.3

Some of the hardest-hit workers are employees of federal contractors. These workers are not covered under Congress's new bill but deserve protection too. The people who clean the floors and serve food have bills just like the rest of us, no matter who signs their paycheck.4

Trump and Republicans care nothing about workers but progressives like Sen. Sherrod Brown have introduced legislation to protect workers from defaulting on loans and losing homes or cars during the shutdown.5The ultimate solution is to force Trump to back down – but until that happens, Congress must do all it can to protect workers from his petulance.